Playing poker tournaments can be really fun. There are a lot of things to consider when playing tournament poker. Here are some steps on how to be a good poker player.

Steps

1

Play strategically when it comes to big blind. Knowing how many big blinds you have in a poker tournament plays a huge role. When you start a poker tournament you can usually expect to start with anywhere from 100 to 200 big blinds. The more big blinds you have the better since you have more flexibility to bet, raise, check, or fold. But, if you have 10 big blinds you don't really have any flexibility and your best options would be folding or going all in.

2

Keep it small in the early stages - and learn about your opponents. When playing the early stages of a poker tournament it's important to play tight. The pots will be very small compared to the chip stacks so play solid hands and just try to pick up some small pots.

This is also a good time to figure out how the other players play. Some players might be playing every hand while another player might like to bluff a lot. If you can figure out the playing styles of your opponents early on it will help you later in the tournament.

3

Take it up a notch in the middle stages. During the middle stages the blinds increase, antes are added, and chip stack sizes play a big role. In the middle stages you want to start taking more chances to try to accumulate chips. This is why knowing how your opponent plays and their flaws is so important. If they play tight then you can bet and win pots off them. If they play aggressive you try to can trap them with a big made hand. If they bluff a lot you can call with a weaker hand or raise you opponent off their hand.

4

Play "the bubble". The bubble is when the tournament gets down to the last few players before making the money. This is the best time to try to steal the blinds and antes and increase you chip stack for the late stages of the tournament. There will be players so focused about trying to "make the money" and not busting the tournament that they will fold every hand to just try to win their money back.

5

Avoid missteps in the "late stages." It's important to make no mistakes. At this stage, any move that you make could make you or break you. Play strong cards and play them aggressively. Think every decision out very carefully and ask yourself why your making a specific play. Don't raise with weak cards because if you have a lot of short stacks at your table they could move all in and force you to make a bad call.

6

Tackle the final table aggressively. When playing a poker tournament, making the final table should be your realistic goal. If your able to make the final table you can then be looking to set yourself up for the win. The final table is a lot like playing the "later stages" of the tournament and playing "the bubble" at the same time. Since the payouts between the first person at busts the final table and the first place finisher are huge, players are more likely to try to wait for other players to bust so they can move up in the money. This means you should be playing a tight and aggressive style. Applying pressure is important. Also look for opportunities to pick up blinds and antes.